Aizawl: The Mizo Zirlai Pawl (MZP), the apex student body in Mizoram, has escalated its opposition to the Indian government’s proposal to eliminate the Free Movement Regime (FMR) by setting posters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah ablaze in a fiery protest.
The MZP vehemently opposes the government’s plan to scrap the FMR, which currently permits unrestricted movement across the borders of Mizoram and Myanmar. The student body argues that the Zo tribes, spanning these international boundaries and residing in various Indian states, were arbitrarily divided by British-drawn lines, a decision made without consulting the Zo people.
“The boundaries have separated the Zo descendants, and these boundaries were made by the British without consulting the Zo people, so this can never be accepted by us,” declared the MZP. They stressed that Mizoram’s NGOs and political parties share a collective objective of unifying the Zo descendants under a single administration, contrasting with the government’s inclination towards border fencing and the elimination of the FMR.
Quoting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) 2007 Article 36, the MZP emphasised, “Indigenous peoples shall not be forcibly removed from their lands or territories. No relocation shall take place without the free, prior and informed consent of the indigenous peoples concerned.” They argued that the proposed scrapping of the FMR would forcibly separate them, a stance vehemently opposed by the MZP.
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In pursuit of their cause, the MZP has engaged with the Chief Minister and Home Minister, requesting for their concerted efforts to bring the Zo descendants under a unified administration. They have also submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, with copies sent to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, India’s Vice President, and Union Home Secretary.
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